


Loss of Control

by Embersoul



Series: The Mercenary and His Daughter [1]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Red vs. Blue, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armor, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Blood, Bounty Hunters, Bounty Hunting, Canon Dialogue, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Cussing, Cybernetics, Cyborgs, Death, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotionally Repressed, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Flashbacks, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Knifeplay, Knives, Loss of Control, Mason is a softy, Mercenaries, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Other, Post-Project Freelancer, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Project Freelancer, Project Freelancer, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, School, Self-Defense, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Sacrifice, Single Parents, Snipers, Spoilers, Swearing, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, What-If, felix is a jerk, heart of gold - Freeform, hopeless, this story takes place over a long period of time, writing on the fly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-21 08:44:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11940522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Embersoul/pseuds/Embersoul
Summary: Samuel Ortez came back from the war and ended up settling down with a woman from a cafe after a little time back. He never thought she'd be ripped away, leaving him and their child alone. In an attempt to provide a home for her, he gets sucked back into being Locus when a friend offers him a job bounty hunting.The light can always go out; what matters is finding it again. ~ my brother. (Trust me, that line sums up this whole story.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with this idea randomly while going through the fanfics for the wonderful 3 mercenaries. Thanks a million for the help and guidance my friends!
> 
> Words:16193

Top five days of your life. Go!

The day that I met you.

The day you said yes.

The day we said 'I do' and started our forever.

The day you said we were expecting a new life.

The day I was handed Keira for the first time.

 

What I wouldn't give to go back.....

 

"Ortez!" A snapping noise sounded in the hallway. A tall, dirty blonde man lowered his hand from his partner's face, looking annoyed. His partner glared at him, his grey eyes narrowing a little.

"Codenames." He pushed himself off the wall as the skinnier of the two walked a few steps away.

"Well, I am SO sorry, Locus, but _you_ weren't responding." He ran his hand through his faux hawk, his words dripping with sass and sarcasm, his shoulders rolling a little as he pointed accusingly at the darker skinned man.

"I was thinking, Felix." Locus crossed his arms over his chest.

"You need to focus on the mission. If you're not focused on the fucking mission, someone might get fucking hurt!" He turned and waved his hands around, accentuating his words with his motions.

"Stop fighting, both of you." Came a voice from the area by the door. A short haired Asian man, dressed in a dark purple and black stealth suit, crouched by the door, the light from the keypad reflecting in his dark eyes. "I'm not here to babysit."

"He started it." Felix threw a gesture towards Locus before turning away and ignoring the both. Locus just glared at the skinny man before looking back towards the door.

"How's it looking, Siris?" He asked quietly.

"It's looking like a pain in the ass." Came the reply as the crouched one reached down to the small toolkit laid out on the floor by his knee, "But nothing I can't handle. Just be ready."

Locus nodded a little, his black ponytail bobbing as he did. He stepped back to his wall and leaned against it again, watching the city through the floor length window. They were several stories up in their target's office building, attempting to break into his own office. The cameras were on repeat, so concerns for them were nonexistent. The only security was several floors down since the building was mostly unoccupied at this hour, their only concern being the lone security officer cursed to wander at this hour. Beyond the window was the expansive lights that twinkled and shined through the window, the noises of the traffic and people muffled from the glass and distance between them and the trio. No one knew they were there, that they were working to break into the office of some big, fancy, corrupt CEO. His gaze kept getting interrupted by Felix pacing back and forth between him and the window, his black clothes blocking the light as he walked across like an eclipse, his orange tie almost glowing against the lights as they tried to shine around him like a halo.

"Stop that. It's annoying." He growled, not intending to sound angry, but it happened. Felix turned on his heel, rolling his eyes, his entire body going into this response.

"Got it!" The purple clad man stood up as the door slid open, stopping the blonde's response. Siris looked between the two, motioning to the entrance. Felix took the first step in, muttering about how he was ready to get shitfaced and find someone to fuck after this shit was done. Locus stepped forward, Siris grabbing his arm as he attempted to enter. He looked up at the taller man, his voice almost a whisper. "Are you ok?" He asked, watching for any signs of a response. Locus watched him silently as well, which prompted Siris to speak again before he did. "Look, if it's stress from home, I can try to find us some smaller jobs. Megan and I have a little saved up and Felix will -"

"It's fine." Locus interrupted. "Things are going well enough at home. I just have an appointment in the morning, so if we can hurry up...." he looked over at the mumbling one, who was already into his third filing cabinet, flipping through files, griping about who the hell knew. Siris's shoulders relaxed a little with a sigh as he let go of Locus's arm. 

"If you're sure."

"I am." He pushed past him as the shorter one watched him approach a bookshelf filled with awards and baubles, any of which may have been able to fetch a nice price at any pawn shop. Siris stood at the desk, going over the papers there and typing on the keyboard a few times. 

"Found it!" Felix announced after a good 5 minutes of all 3 of them tearing the room apart, careful the return everything to its place. He was holding a file above his head as he turned. "One Sytenx vs. Pauline, as requested." He smirked as Locus glanced over and Siris stood up. 

"You're sure that's it?" Locus asked as Felix held it out to Siris, who started flipping through the file. 

"This is it. Let's go." That was all the confirmation that they needed. Locus took it from Siris and slipped it into his jacket, heading towards the door. Felix was already walking out of the room, then backed up against the wall, motioning to the other two to stop. They both froze, as if something had taken away their ability to move. 

"That fucking guard is up here!" Felix whispered loudly, slowly checking around the corner, then guiding the door shut. Next to the door were windows into the office, so they couldn't just wait him out. Locus was already pressing himself against the wall to the side of the bookshelves, against a painting that was probably worth more than the entire apartment complex he was living in. He rolled his eyes at the thought, realizing that it probably wasn't that hard to pull off. Felix darted to the filing cabinets, attempting to duck down enough to hide behind them like Locus with his bookshelves. Siris moved the computer chair closer to him as he slipped under the desk, it being the last place with the most cover. It was a probably the best place for any of the three to hide, but him being the smallest, only he would fit. The back panel went all the way to the floor, probably picked out just to it could hide someone under the desk. It was the CEO's style..... 

"Felix!" Locus hissed. "Felix!"

"What?!" He glared at him. 

"Move your arm! It's sticking out from the side!"

"No, it's not!"

Siris facepalmed at the two, though they couldn't see it. Was it so hard to just take the advise?

"Yes it is! You're gonna get us caught!"

"No, _you're_ gonna get us caught if you don't fucking-"

"Both of you! Stop it! Just do what he says! Being closer to the wall isn't going to hurt anything!" Siris cried softly, expecting them both lash out again, but they fell silent. He exhaled silently in relief. He was not looking forward to the ride back to the station. 

As the footsteps became louder, each of the men held their breath or slowed their breathing, as if it would help to keep them hidden from sight. The security guard was walking along, whistling a little tune as he did. The seconds felt like minutes as the man passed, agonizingly dragging their perception of time out. As the whistling faded, a little, each gave a quiet sigh of relief, Felix being careful to not let his head bang against the aluminum chest of drawers he leaned against. They waited in their hiding places for what felt like eternity before finally stepping and crawling out into the residual lights from the city. Siris was the first one at the door, quietly guiding it open and peaking down the hall. The guard was just starting to turn the corner, whistling along and taking his time. Siris turned back to the two in the room behind him, Felix with his hand on his gun and Locus reached for his as well. Their partner gave a smirk and a thumbs up, signaling for them to relax. The calm didn't last for long at all.

"I thought you said that we would have plenty of time and be in and out before the guard came by!" Felix stomped his foot as he turned to face Locus, who again glared.

"I said that we would be able to if we hurried! You were the one who was supposed to study his pattern!"

"I did! And when I told you his fucking patterns, you said we had time! We were barely in here when he walked by! I'd say that's pretty God damned CLOSE!" Siris growled at their arguing. 

"Well.... he's not that far gone. I'm pretty sure if you guys are any louder, he'll be happy to turn back and find us." With this revelation in mind, Felix crossed his arms and huffed as he looked away as Locus stepped forward again. "We can get out the same way we came in if we hurry."

"Yeah." Felix relaxed. "Alright. Let's get out of here and get paid." He was calm, calmest he had been all night since they got inside. Locus ushered the two out, watching for the guard as Felix was the first out, followed closely by Siris, who gave the room a cursory glance to make sure everything was in place before clicking the door shut, then locking it as if no one had been here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been asked when I plan to make updates to this story. Honestly, I'm going to try my damnedest to get up at least one chapter a week, but once i get in the groove, I might post 4 in a week, or I might actually have to force myself to post. This is going to be an interesting trip. I'll try to keep on top of it. ^u^
> 
> Word count: 3,500 even (WOOT)

"So, after this, wanna go get some drinks? Do some shots? Pick up a few chicks?" Felix asked, tapping his right hand on the passenger side door. When no one responded, he looked at the two in the car with him. "Um....hello? Did everyone go deaf or something?"

"No." Locus looked up from his phone in his hand. The light from the screen cast a blue white glow on his face as he finished typing.

"Noooooo what? You're not deaf or no you don't want to hit the town with me?" Felix looked back at him specifically.

He looked up from the text message as he hit the home button, causing the screen to shift. "No as in I have to be up in the morning." 

"Psh. Whatever." He flopped back against his seat and looked to his left at the driver. "How 'bout you, Siris?"

"I'm going to need to be up tomorrow, too. Megan and I are supposed to go to a party for her cousin's daughter and I can't be nursing a hangover. Maybe next time." Siris glanced over at the now annoyed Felix before focusing on driving again. The lights of the city flashed by as they drove along, splashing their skin into pinks and greens, blues and yellows. Felix groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"Buzzkills, the both of you! Your family shit sucks! Locus, what the fuck could be so important in the morning that you can't come drinking with your old war buddy?!"

"I have two appointments. One of them is at Keira's scho-" 

"WHAT THE _FUCK_!? Seriously? You're blowing me off for some fucking parent teacher shit?!" Felix turned around in his seat again to meet Locus's glare. Locus knew how Felix felt about his daughter. He'd offered to help put her up for adoption when.... everything went bad.

"Isaac, chill." Siris interrupted before they started a fight in his car. "If it will get you to calm down, let me go home and I'll change and come hang out for a little bit." Felix huffed and sat back, looking out the passenger side window again. 

"Yeah, sure, fine, whatever." He grumbled, then added under his breath, "Shoulda gotten rid of that brat when your fucking wife died." 

Locus didn't catch what was said, already looking down at his phone again. The text message listed the time of the appointment with the school counselor, along with a reason; various. He sighed as Siris pulled into the bounty station parking lot where other cars sat around, their drivers out on jobs or... who knows, some might be abandoned. Felix was the first one out, Siris following quickly behind. The blonde gave a little moan as he stretched, his fingers interlaced as he pushed his palms to the sky and his back arched, drawing little popping noises from his joints. Locus slid out on Felix's side and shut the door as the driver walked to a heavy glass door and buzzed in on the intercom. The door's lock disengaged and he walked in, leaving the two partners outside, Felix awkwardly kicking at a rock and Locus leaning against the car, arms folded, head bowed a bit, eyes close. He was relaxed, or at least that's what it looked like to Felix. He was running over thoughts in his head, trying to plan out the next day. This awkward silence was getting to be too much for the talkative one.

"So, what did she do this time?" Felix sounded a little more chipper than he had in the car, as if he had forgotten their exchange. Locus opened his eyes and looked up at his partner. His expression looked almost concerned, apologetic that his friend couldn't join him. "Glue the teacher's butt to a chair? Pants a kid in the lunch room? Get caught Googling boobies or something?" Locus sighed and shook his head. 

"I don't know yet. They didn't send it in the message. Either way, I'm sorry I can't join. If it were a few months ago-"

"Yeah yeah. I know." Felix waved his hand, dismissing Locus's excuses and reasoning as he walked away to another car. "Whatever. Next time. I think getting you laid would help your issues." He leaned against it, now facing the purple car that Siris drove. "You really aren't cut out for this single parent shit. You're a soldier, not a soccer mom."

"I'm not a soldier anymore." He pulled out his phone as both mens' chimed, denoting a transfer of funds as Siris walked back out. 8,000 credits. Locus smiled a little as Felix groaned.

"Really, Wu?" Felix threw his arms in the air in frustration as Siris approached. "Only 8k? You said we were gonna make decent money off this one!"  

"Code names." Locus growled, earning the irate one's focus for a moment.

"You. Quiet." He pointed at Locus, then turned to point at Siris. "You. Explain." Siris shrugged.

"Sorry. Wasn't worth as much as I thought it was. It's still worth money, though, so I took the bounty." Felix grasped his head in frustration, turning back to the car. 

"I have a nice life I would like to keep going, thank you. Sam, tell him we need better-" he turned, pointing at Locus as if to trigger him to back him up.

"CODE NAMES!" Locus barked, Felix stopping before turning back to the orange sports car he had leaned against earlier and climbing in.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll send you the name of the bar I pick." He called as he turned the car on and backed up, the sports car gliding over the asphalt with a purr. Locus watched him drive off before turning to see Siris watching him, a little sympathy in his eyes.

"How are you doing?" Siris had paused, driver's side door open. Locus turned and climbed into the car silently. He knew that he wouldn't answer him until they were on the road and driving; code names were required for work and when they were headed home from a mission, he would open up a little and become Sam again. They were several blocks from the bounty station before Locus began to speak.

"Keira was put in detention again for acting out." Upon hearing that, Siris sighed. 

"How is she doing? Taking the move well?" 

"No. Not at all. She's been herself at home sometimes, but she's been locked up in her room instead of her usual activities. She's constantly rubbing her prosthetic, like it itches or something."

"Sounds like it might not be calibrated right." Siris offered as Locus's face began to show how exhausted he was. He was worn and tired, possibly a little broken. Siris knew this look from when he had come back from the war. 

"I know. I remember when you had issues from your leg. I just wish I could handle everything better...." Locus rubbed his eyes, his fingers grazing the X shaped scar on his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose, smearing the makeup that was covering it. Siris looked over to him, a small reassuring smile on his face.

"Sam, you're doing the best you can for her. She knows this. She just needs time to heal, just like you. And again, if you need us to take easier jobs or less of them, we can. I can even loan you a litt-"

"No." Locus shook his head. "No, Mason, we don't need you to pay our bills and I can handle what we're doing. We don't need to let up. I'm not struggling."

"Keira is just like you." Siris sighed. "Do you know why they tell parents to put their oxygen masks on before they help the kid put theirs on in planes and ships? Because the adult has to be ok enough to take care of the child. If you fall while trying to help, you might both fall. Same goes for this, you know?"

"You and Megan do enough for us." He reassured him, hoping he would drop the subject.

"Look, if you need a night alone, just let us know, ok? It wouldn't be a problem." 

"Yes it would. It would be too quiet." Siris did indeed drop the subject, but after about a minute of silence, glanced over at Locus. He was on his phone again, flipping through texts. His eyes were starting to show fatigue, whether it be his depression or just the tedium of the mission, Siris couldn't tell. Glanced at the phone, he recognized the picture on it immediately. 

In the picture, Locus was dressed in a simple white t shirt with a green, unbuttoned dress shirt pulled over it. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail again, as was his usual style, with a slight smile on his lips. His skin was a little darker due to it being summer when the picture was taken. In his left arm was a porcelain skinned woman, her hair dark brown and cut in a short bob. Her green eyes sparkled with an adorable hint of mischief that her smile accented, freckles speckling her nose and cheeks. She wore a lavender tank top over an orange bikini top. Her arm was behind him, her pointer and middle finger poking out above his head to give him 'bunny ears'. In his other arm, a 12 year old girl with the brightest smile of them all, her thick black hair falling around her shoulders, dripping wet from being in the water. Her eyes were grey and her skin tanned, like her father's, but she had her mother's looks. She wore a bright pink bathing suit and clutched a plastic cup in one hand, full of chocolate milk if Siris recalled properly, and the other was held in front of her, her fingers making a peace sign. It had been at her summer camp's last day, when the parents came to visit and pick everyone up. One last time for the kids to play and have fun before heading home. It was the last time that they had a chance to be together like that, before everything in their lives went to hell.

Locus looked over the picture on the screen, a flood of emotions taking over his thoughts. Siris let him be. Everything he could think to say had already been said. It hadn't been that long ago that their life had started falling apart. By the time Locus looked up, he realized that Siris had driven past his apartment building at least twice. 

"You can stop driving around in circles, Mase. I'm fine." He closed the program on his phone as the car came to a stop. 

"Sorry." Siris chuckled. "Dunno what came over me. I'll do my best to keep Felix out of trouble. Tell Kiki I say hi."

"She should be asleep at this hour, with school tomorrow." Locus checked the time on the phone. It was 1:45 AM. If she wasn't in bed, she'd be in trouble. 

"Well, you need a ride tomorrow to the school?" 

"No. It's not far. We can walk it." He shook his head and closed the door. "Call me when you get another job for us."

"Will do!" Siris put the car in drive and slowly pulled back onto the empty street, leaving Locus to head in on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP this chapter almost doubled the word count. There's 3229 words in this one alone. Sorry to those who don't like long chapters. But if you do, rejoice!
> 
> Word count 6,729 (gonna start to track that so I can track how much i write per chapter. if i remember.)

Sam dropped his keys on the small table by the door, a light jingle ringing out thought the mostly empty apartment he shared with his daughter. His foot kicked the box underneath it. It was filled with shoes and a bright green backpack with little designs and messages in marker leaned against it. He sighed and picked it up with he saw it was a little fuller than usual, pulling his daughter's jacket from inside. He hung the dingy, baby-pink hooded garment up on the rack with a few other coats and hoodies. The worn out thing had been a gift from his wife to Keira when they went to Canada during the winter break last year and she refused to let it be thrown out. She had even asked Megan to fix it up when it was destroyed in the-

Sam looked down at a grey tabby cat that wound its way around his legs, rubbing and purring.

They didn't own a cat.....

He sighed, figuring that someone had found it and brought it in. Gee.... wonder who it could have been. He shook his head and bent down to untie his shoes as the cat continued to rub its face against him. He had pushed the adamant creature off of him several times before dropping his shoes in the box with the rest. The cat followed him, much to his dismay, into the poorly stocked kitchen where it hopped onto the table and stared as he pulled his jacket off and folded it over, leaving it on the back of the chair. Maybe if he ignored the fur ball, it would go away.

Opening the fridge, he surveyed the boxes that had been nicely labeled and stacked neatly. While he had told Mason and Megan that he wanted none of their charity, that they would be fine on their own, they often invited he and Keira to dinner, making sure to send them home with leftovers or snacks. He took out one of the boxes and a beer, popped the top part of the way off the box, dropped it in the microwave, and hit the quick minute button. As it turned in the microwave, he popped the bottle cap off using the counter and glanced around the room while taking a drink. There were few dishes in the sink, a fork and a plastic container from he was assuming Keira. The cup she had used, a little coffee mug with dancing anime characters from her favorite show was sitting in the drying rack. There were boxes piled up in one corner of the room, almost to the ceiling, most of them dishes or pots, everything that was in the kitchen that they hadn't needed with them being fed by the Wu family most of the time. He looked back down at the cat who was staring at him, expectantly.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked it as it watched him. It meowed at him and stoop up from where it was sitting, as if the action would gain it favor with the grumpy man. If he hadn't been so tired he would have pushed it off the table already. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, before turning back to the cupboards where Keira had piled the cans of food she had unpacked a month prior. He shuffled through them and produced a can of tuna fish, which he popped open and set down next to a bowl of water his daughter had set out for the animal. The tabby gave another meow as it hopped down with a quiet thud and started to eat from the can, purring through the while thing. He ran his hand over its back as it moved into his touch, spine rising to follow. He checked the time on his dinner - 30 seconds - and stepped back over to the sink. It spit a little as he turned the handle, a steady but small stream of water dribbling out. He glared at it as he growled quietly, cupping his hands under the faucet to catch the water and splashing it on his face when his hands filled. Never before living here had he realized that good water pressure was such a privilege. He pulled his hands down a little, until his fingers finally slid off his eyelids, and opened his eyes, staring at the window that overlooked the parking lot behind the building. Nothing out there really caught his attention; it was just a fenced in lot. The microwave beeping dragged him from the staring contest with the outside world. Turning to the noisy machine, he popped the door open and took the plastic dish out, dropped it on the table, selected a fork from the drawer, and sat down with his beer. 

Half way into the silent meal with the uninvited feline, Sam heard quiet footsteps approaching from the only bedroom in their apartment. He turned slightly to the left and saw his daughter, Keira, standing there. She was dressed in purple pajama pants with pink and white butterflies all over and a brown short sleeved shirt with some quote from a video game she used to play printed on it. Her black hair was knotted in several places and fell slightly past her shoulders. Her grey eyes were tired and red, tears having fallen recently. She had done what she could to clean them up so as to not worry her father, which only made it more evident to him. Her right hand gripped her left arm, the skin shifting to a different shade completely where her prosthetic arm started right below the elbow. There were three scars on the left side of her face; one right below her eye, one on her upper jaw, and one closer to her temple. He perked up a little when he saw her, managing a small smile as he turned to her a little in the chair. 

"Is everything ok, Kiki?" He asked softly, watching her rub her replacement arm. She didn't respond right away, just staring at the floor between their feet. 

"....Yeah." She sighed before shuffling into the kitchen with him. She pulled the mug out from the drying rack and dropped it on the table with a small clink before going to the fridge. She stood there, processing its contents mentally for a moment before removing the milk and chocolate syrup. She plopped down in the chair across from him and started pouring her chocolate in first, followed closely by the milk, doing everything with her right hand only, the white beverage spilling a little due to the lack of stability. Sam's gaze followed her as she pushed herself up to get her spoon she forgot.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" He checked his phone for the time. Two in the morning. She had to be up in four hours to get ready for school. She snapped the cap back on the milk and sat back, taking a drink before responding.

"What are _you_ doing up at this hour?" She eyed him accusingly.  

He set his fork down and looked up at her. "I was out doing a job with Uncle Mason and Isaac." She stared into her chocolate milk. "Now, what are you doing up?"

"....Couldn't sleep." She answered quietly.

"Nightmares?" 

She responded with only a nod.

"Remember what the doctor said. If you talk about them, it may hel-" He stopped as she shook her head. She was just as stubborn as he was with the doctors. Her hand was rubbing across the pale synthetic skin of her arm and she was starting at the mug. The cat was now on the table, licking up the milk she had spilled. While he wanted to comfort her, there was something he had to get out of the way. "Who's cat is this?"

"Mine." She answered quietly, still staring at the cup and the smiling chibi girls around it. 

"Where did you get a cat?" It took everything to keep from sounding upset about the prospect of yet another mouth to feed and having to cover the exorbitant pet deposit.

"A military guy gave him to me. He's going away for special military training and had no one to take his cats. I took one."

"Why?" 

"Because they say having pets helps with mental issues." She picked up the cat and set him on her lap, smoothing his fur over his back. The tabby pushed his head into her hand as she did, purring loud enough Sam could hear him in his seat. 

"You know we can't keep him." He wanted to break down exactly why he couldn't allow it to stay, but he knew better than to add to her stress with talks of bills and how bad off they were. Kiki looked down, her hair falling into her face as her shoulders shook from silent tears that she attempted to hide. Sam sat back in his chair, his heart breaking at the sight. She had hardly smiled since the summer, the move to a cheaper place of residence and a new school only making it worse. He swallowed and leaned forward a little, resting his arms on the table. "What's his name?" She sniffled and wiped her eyes a little before looking up.

"Shannon." She answered. He blinked twice before smiling and laughing a little. 

"Really? The cat is a boy right?" 

"Mm-hm." She cracked a little smile and gave a nod. 

"Poor thing. Well, we can't keep him here," he stood up and stepped over to her, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked up. He brushed away tears with his thumbs as he cupped her face in his hands. "But I will see if Uncle Mason can take him, ok? Once we get to a new place that we plan to stay at for a while, we can move.... Shannon.... in with us. Deal?" Her face lit up at this promise and nodded.

"Ok, Daddy." The hint of happiness in her voice brought a smile to his face again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, straightening up again before walking to the fridge with the milk jug and grabbing another beer. 

"You should get to bed. Come on, I'll walk you and you can bring.... Shannon with you." He set the bottle down on the table as she gulped down the last of the flavored milk she had and set the cup and spoon in the sink. He placed his hand gently to her back and guided her towards the bedroom. He had given it to her, himself sleeping on the couch since the living room lacked the space for the other bed.

The bedroom was small, the twin bed pushed against the wall with a white and yellow flowered bedspread, the blanket thrown to one side. A small pile of stuffed animals sat next to the two pillows, one smiling brown teddy bear set aside from the rest. A dresser was set up on the other wall with several boxes stacked on top of it and to the side, each marked clearly as to what was inside. Two boxes sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, one marked toys and the second marked keepsakes. Sam ignored the boxes and watched the little one set the cat on the foot of the bed before climbing on, pulling the blankets up as she flopped down. Sam stepped up and brushed her hair out of her face again, planting a little kiss on her forehead as she snuggled into the comforter.

"I'm sorry I brought home the kitty without asking..... And sorry for what happened at school...." She whispered as she curled up around her stuffed bear. He sat on the bed and took her prosthetic hand in his, his thumb rubbing gently on the back her peach synthetic skin. The skin was soft and warm to him, but all she felt was a dull tingle from his touch.

"We'll handle it tomorrow. For now, just get some sleep." Sam held her hand for a few silent moments before slowly getting up and letting her settle into the covers. The cat was already curled up on her pillow next to her head. He stood at the door and watched her drift to sleep for a minute before turning off the light. 

He returned to the kitchen to clean up the table. The apartment complex wasn't the best and he knew there was more than likely a pest problem, though he hadn't seen an evidence. Better safe than sorry. He put the remainder of his meal away in the fridge again and rinsed out the dishes. Washing them could wait until tomorrow when he got home. He reached up and grabbed a clear bottle from one of the cupboards and his beer from the table as he moved into the small living room.

A tan couch sat against one wall with a moss green blanket folded and set at one end with a pillow on top of it. A dark brown coffee table sat between the couch and the TV on a rug that used to sit under the dining room table at their old house. The coffee table had been cleaned off where Kiki had done her homework with just a stack of mail she had brought in on the edge. The boxes in the corner had been straightened up and neatly stacked from the digging that all too often occurred when they were searching for something. Keira had obviously cleaned up a little bit while he was out on his mission. He set the bottles down on the coffee table before pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the laundry basket by the boxes. He plopped on the couch and rubbed his face with one hand, feeling the scar once again and cursed under his breath as his fingers slid to the bridge of his nose; he forgot to take the make up off. He needed a shower, too. 

Grumbling, Sam pushed himself up off the couch again and grabbed the beer, chugging the last as he walked towards the bathroom. He tossed the empty bottle into the pile of boxes Keira had noted as "recycling pile" with a little paper sign pinned to the wall the first day they moved in. The sound of it landing was muffled from the newspapers and mail they had thrown away while unpacking the necessities. As he walked past the TV stand, he absentmindedly gripped the pile of clothes that had been set down and forgotten from the last time laundry was done. 

The bathroom was painted a gross dusty rose color, as if someone had tried to create pink cobwebs and made it into a paint, and both of them hated it. The bathtub, sink, and toilet all matched the sick color, the only relief being the colorful blue shower curtain speckled with fish that they had brought from their old house. Sam dropped his clothes on the vanity in front of the mirror and looked himself over. His chest had a few scars, some faded from his war days and a few fresher like the ones on his face. The makeup was smeared a little bit but at this point, it didn't matter. He glared at his reflection as he berated himself in his head.

_Should have been able to take care of them._

_You should be handling this better._

_It's your fault that Keira is doing so poorly._

_Couldn't even keep a job when she needed you._

He tore himself away from the mirror and roughly turned the knob to the cold water. The water gurgled before finally coming out of the shower head in a weak, but steady stream. The sound brought a little peace to his racing mind as he discarded the rest of his clothes and stepped in, shivering slightly from the chill. He preferred it chilly, or maybe he just never completely readjusted to civilian life. He washed up quickly, a habit from the military, before taking a few minutes to just let the water run down his muscular body. He sighed heavily, his eyes closing as the thoughts started again.

_Worthless._

_Useless._

_Good for nothing._

_Pathetic excuse for a father._

He gripped his hands into fists and tried to clear his head, tried to think of something else. Keira. Think about Keira.

_She almost died in your arms._

_Astria didn't have a chance._

_Remember the blood?_

_Just like the war...._

 

**_Monster_ **

 

"DAMMIT!" He slammed his fist on the wall as he grit his teeth before slowly lowering himself to his knees, his breathing heavy. He shook from the tears that threatened him; tears that refused to leave him for long. Attempting to grasp at the reins of his racing mind, he recalled the game Keira liked to play. Five things... Five things that were positive.

 

Keira was in his life and loved him. One.

Mason and Isaac were still around. Two.

They had a place to sleep, shitty as it was. Three.

They had food. Four.

They had a future.

 

The last one was a bit of a cop out but he needed to think of something. If it didn't count, he assured himself, then Isaac and Mason could be separate. The water sputtered a little as he felt himself calm again, looking up at the spitting water with disdain. He rose from where he knelt, turning off the water that was no longer offering relief, and stepped out. He dried his hair best he could with the pink towel with a purple pony that his child adored so much, which he didn't even notice it was the one he had grabbed off the top of the pile. He wiped down the rest of his body and slipped into the pajama pants he had brought with him before hanging the towel on the metal bar attached to the wall. He threw a quick glance at his reflection again as he turned off the light and returned to his makeshift bed. 

Upon sitting down, Sam grabbed the clear bottle off the coffee table, twisting the cap off and taking a few large gulps as his back connected to the soft fabric. The liquid burned his throat as he drank, but he was used to it at this point. It was the only thing that really silenced the voice in his head anymore. Well, effectively. He despised the medications he was offered and this at least made him feel a little better as soon as he started drinking. He set it down and grabbed his phone, wanting to message Mason before everything got too fuzzy about the fucking animal Kiki had acquired. Shortly after pressing the send button, he put the bottle to his lips and held it upside down as bubbles rose though the neck of the bottle, upsetting the stillness that it tried to regain. He gasped as he lowered it, panting as he stared at the white tiger on the gold background of the label. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled as he finally recognized the feeling of lightheadedness and warmth he had become too comfortable with. 

This was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, I named the vodka brand White Tiger Vodka. Just a little note if anyone wondered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 8475

"-up. Come on, Kiki. You need to wake up and start the day!" An energetic voice dragged the girl from her sleep. It was high pitched and cheery.

Keira groaned a little and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. It was dark in the room except for her cellphone. The first think she felt was the tingle in her left arm, as though it was asleep but at this point, it was routine.

"Kiki! Up up sleepy head! The day is beginning! According to your messages, you have to be to school in 1.5 hours!" 

She dropped her hands on her face and rubbed a little. If that personal assistant wasn't so useful, she'd just use a normal alarm.

"Don't make me use the ringtones!" The voice singsonged to her from the right.

"I'm up, I'm up...." She reached over to the box next to her bed and picked up her phone. "Good morning Sasha." A perky anime character popped up on the screen. The avatar had neon green eyes and mocha brown pigtails. She wore a cute little pair of pink pajamas with tiny white sheep all over them and a pair of matching sheep slippers. In her arms was a pink stuffed cat. Sasha waved at Kiki, who gave a tiny wave back

"Good morning, sleepy head. Did you sleep well?" The AI was almost too energetic for this hour.

"No." Kiki replied dryly as Shannon stretched and got up, hopping off the bed.

"Oh.... I'm sorry." Sasha hugged her pillow and rocked herself a little. "By my calculations, it has been 23 days since you said you slept well. Shall I inform your doctor so she may assist?"

"No.... just... no.... I'll be fine." Kiki pushed herself up to a sitting position and threw the blankets off.

"You have 12 game updates, 2 text messages, and one birthday coming up in the next week. Would you like me to access any of these programs?" She sighed, figuring she knew who the texts were from.

"Yeah. Messages." The screen blinked and her text app opened itself as Sasha shrunk down to an icon of just her face in the corner, smiling like life was rainbows and gumdrops. Sure enough, 2 messages sat unopened. Rubbing her eye with her right hand, she tapped the first icon with her thumb carefully, sending a spike of tingles that ran up her arm, earning a wince. She hated her prosthetic but when it wasn't bugging out, it was helpful.

The first message was from some friend from her old school. She skimmed the birthday invitation with disinterest before deleting it. They all knew what happened. They all felt bad. She was tired of the sympathy and awkward silences.

The second was a message sent from Uncle Mason's phone. She frowned as she read it.

_Hey kiddo. Heard you were having some issues with your arm. You know that we're here to help and Aunt Megan and I will take a look when you come over after school. Also, I heard you got a cat? That's cool._

She sighed and closed the program before following her new pet out the door. Of course he knew. Mason had taught her father how to watch for issues that she wouldn't talk about when it came to the arm seeing as how he knew what to look for. She never had to say a damn thing, but he would report back to her uncle. Megan was of course in on it, too, seeing as how she was the one in charge of her therapy and the one managing everything to do with it. She didn't really understand why she was so adamant about not letting them help, but damn it..... Maybe if she ignored them, like she had the councilors, they'd just stop. She was fine. There were more important things to deal with. Like....

She gave a silent groan as she laid eyes on her father. He was passed out on the couch, his blanket partially covering the leg that was stretched out over the cushions, like someone trying to stop someone else from sitting there, his other leg falling off the side to the floor. His head was some how on his pillow, which was soaked in one spot with drool and vodka. His left arm was under his pillow and extended up and over the arm of the couch, his hand hanging limply over the edge. His right was still grasping the new bottle he had retrieved at some point after finishing the first, half empty between his drinking and being spilled into the rug. His hair was in his face and didn't impede his quiet snore. He looked peaceful, like he used to sleeping next to her mother. The whole room had the slight scent of the vodka, though, and she knew he would have to do something before going to her school. Rolling her eyes, she stepped into the kitchen to start on breakfast, hoping he would just spill the rest of the bottle when he woke up.

She ate in relative silence, the only noise being the cat crunching his food and her father snoring in the next room. She poked at her games on her phone, doing the morning minimum, before rinsing her plate and placing it in the sink to be washed later. Ignoring her father once more, she spent the next hour getting ready before she heard her father's telltale groan of a hangover. 

The first thing Sam felt upon returning to consciousness was the nausea. He gripped the bottle in his fingers as he sat up, groaning from the rest of the sensations catching up with him. His limbs were heavy and sluggish as he tried to move, his free hand going to grip his head, pressing it over his eyes. Why the fucking hell did Kiki insist on turning on the damn lights? He sat back in an attempt to rest, his head hitting the wall. Both the sound and sensation caused him to cry out in pain and curse, both his hands flying to pulsing injury. He heard the bottle crash against the floor. The sound drilled through his head like an ice pick, the headache making his teeth grind a little with a groan of displeasure. His mouth and throat were dry and he was so drenched in sweat, he questioned if his hair was still wet from his shower that he faintly remembered. There was a grey furry animal sitting on the floor watching him like he owed it something. They didn't have a fucking.... oh yeah.... He glared back at it, feeling his heartbeat in his eyes. It yawned, stood up, sniffed the wet spot under the bottle, and walked away. He sat back again, carefully this time, and closed his eyes. He still felt the swimmy feeling of being drunk, but it wasn't as enjoyable. At least it was quiet in his head.

"Dad?" The usually soothing, soft voice of his daughter made him cringe. She was trying to be quiet, just loud enough for him to hear but not cause him pain, which she failed at. He slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the concerned child, dressed in her school uniform. It was pretty simple; dark blue plaid skirt, navy knee high socks, a pair of brown dress loafers, and a long sleeved white blouse with an optional blue tie. A pair of black dog tags hung around her neck, green silicone silencers around both of them; his dog tags. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with some of her bangs hanging in her face, having slipped from her hands when she pulled it back. Her eyes showed sympathy, though a little annoyance and anger that he let it get this far yet again showed in her frown. He gave a grunt of recognition and put his arm over his eyes, leaning back again. "I have to get going soon. I made you breakfast."  She motioned to the coffee table, even though he couldn't see. "There's some medicine for you and I already added a shot of Irish cream to your coffee. There's also a Gatorade. There's new clothes set out on the bathroom vanity with your makeup on top." She waited for him to respond, but he was too busy processing what she had said. After a few moments of silence, she sighed and started towards the door.

"Don't go." He forced himself to call to her, ignoring his dry throat. His voice was hoarse and felt broken, but it stopped her in her tracks. He heard her take a breath as she turned, waiting to hear more. He tried to swallow. "Don't go. I'll... I'll walk you." He pushed himself up to rest his elbows on his knees, hunched over some. He told himself to focus on what was in front of him and started to process what he was seeing. First thing he saw was the Gatorade, which was also the first thing he picked up. The cap had already been removed from the safety ring to avoid the cracking noise. He gulped it down as she stepped forward and picked up the vodka bottles and went into the kitchen with them and their lids. There was a gasp of appreciation as he took a breath after lowering the bottle back to the table. He sat there and panted as he watched her come back in and sit in the recliner near by. She watched him expectantly. Or maybe it was disappointment. He was too hungover to really tell. Next, painkillers..... 

"You haven't left the appartment yet. You're going to be late." Sasha cried from Keira's phone. Sam cringed a little at the sound but kept focused on what was in front of him. Kiki poked at her phone. 

"I'm going to be late to school." She whispered.

"Shall I alert the school?" The program asked. She looked up at her father who was drinking his coffee and nodded.

"Yes. Please called the school and let them know that my father and I will be a little later than expected." She instructed. The avatar nodded with a smile. It was dressed in a similar uniform to Kiki's and dialed on a phone. She looked up as her father stood and guided himself, very carefully, towards the bathroom, egg and bacon sandwich in one hand, Gatorade in the other. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I can't drink the stuff, might as well let my characters enjoy it. 
> 
> Words:9964

"Dad, we're already late." Keira groaned and rolled her eyes and shoulders, overemphasizing her whining. Her father was on his second Gatorade, drank the coffee she gave him, and who knew if he drank any water from the bathroom when he took his shower. How the hell was he still thirsty?

"With how late we are, we might as well not show up until the appointment anyways." He glanced back with a reassuring smile. His hair was pulled back in a wet ponytail and he wore a pair of navy jeans and a green t-shirt with a black zip up hoodie over it to keep the chill of autumn off. The scar on his face was covered in makeup to hide it again. He wasn't used to it yet. He opened the door to the coffee shop and motioned for his daughter to go in first. She sighed as she shoved her hands into the pocket of her patched up pink hoodie and walked in, her father following right behind her. The little shop had a few people sitting at the tables and was relatively quiet. "What do you want?"

"Um...." She looked up at him as they approached. "Anything?"

"Anything." He smiled at her, stopping in front of the cashier, who greeted them with a smile. Without skipping a beat, she turns to the barista.

"Venti white chocolate mocha, no whip, extra foam, 8 pumps white mocha, 4 pumps classic, children's temp. And some of the sea salt that you had from the caramel mochas if you still have it. Student discount." She smiled and held up her phone, her school ID showing on the screen. "And a croissant please!" Finishing up, she looked up at her father and grinned. He blinked as their eyes met then looked to the barista, who is watching him expectantly. 

"Coffee. Black." He was still trying to process the jumble of words that came out of his daughter's mouth. "And a coffee cake. Kiki, go get us a table." He pulled out his wallet and started digging out cash as the girl turned and walked towards the tables. She chose a lonely table in the corner with only two chairs and sat with her back to the door. Her father would prefer the chair facing the door more than she would. She poked at her phone and waited. A group of girls sat a few tables away, giggling and laughing. She turned her head just a little to look at them, then stared. All four were dressed up in cosplays from her favorite show. She wanted so much to go talk to them. She went to move a little, pins and needles hitting her as soon as she touched the table with her prosthetic. She winced a little and looked at her hand before readjusting with a quiet whimper into her seat. 

"That's this coming weekend, isn't it?" Sam set their drinks and food in front of her. She looked up with a little questioning hum as he indicated the giggling teens with a nod. "That convention you were talking about, right?"

"Yeah." She picked up her drink and sipped it, acting disinterested and failing. Her father knew a few of her tricks to hide what she was thinking. This was one of those times he was able to read her. She popped the cap off her coffee and sipped at the foam some. She was refusing to make eye contact and kept her voice low. He knew she wanted to go and he had wanted to take her this year. He sat down and patted her hand, earning a hidden wince. 

"You wanna go?" 

"We can't afford it. Don't worry about it."

"Let me see what I can do, alright? Your birthday is coming up." 

"Yeah. I know. I don't want anything." She lied again as she licked the foam from her lips.

"Well, too bad. It's once in a lifetime that someone becomes a teenager." He chuckled. He was in a good mood this morning, all things considered. He finally had time to spend with her, even if he was keeping her from school. She refused to look up at him, prompting him to guide her eyes to his, hand gently raising her chin. "I love you, Keira. Never forget that. And we're not that bad off, so relax a little." He ruffled her hair, earning a groan from her. "But they're your favorite. You should go say 'hi.' I'm sure they're nice." She grunted as she put the lid back on her cup. The jolt from her snapping it on made her wince.

"Maybe later. Not in the mood right now."

"School stressing you out?"

"No." She took a bite of her pastry. He watched her for a moment.

"Hey, Keek? Five things that would make you happy. Go, and be honest."

"Well you already bought me coffee and are keeping me from school. So I guess one would be not going to school."

"One." He smirked a little at her words.

She fidgeted with the wrapper on her snack. ".... To have my arm back." She went a little quiet and he frowned. 

"Two."

"Mom back." 

"Three...." He groaned. This wasn't fun nor helping.

"To go home to the house." 

"Kiki...." He looked into his now empty cup. 

She fell silent and studied her drink again."You asked."  She responded after a few moments of silence.

"Well, you have one left." 

"For things to go back to how they used to be." She whispered. He closed his eyes and sighed, getting up.

"I'll be right back. Getting a refill." He mumbled as he walked away.

She watched him as he walked away before looking back at the girls. They were starting to pack up their belongings and joking along with each other. She slowly rose from her seat and gripped her phone as she stepped over and cleared her throat.

 

Up at the counter, Sam was waiting for the refill while chatting with the barista. She had asked him the normal questions so far.

How's your day? Recovering from a hangover.

Got any plans later? Working.

What do you do for work? Police.

Is that your daughter? Yes.

Her hand a prosthetic?

This question caught his attention. "How did you know?" The barista smiled and pulled the right leg of her pants up, showing a black cybernetic replacement. She looked up and smiled. 

"Lucky guess. Not too long ago I assume?"

"Three months. Lost her mother in the same accident." 

"I'm so sorry. Mine was in a sporting accident. But.... trust me, it does get easier. She'll adjust. Just takes time."

"I know." He glanced back at where she had been sitting. Upon seeing she wasn't there, he glanced over at the cosplay girls. She was smiling and posing for a picture with the group as someone else took a picture with her phone. He smiled a little as she moved to take a selfie with her favorite of the group. "Just takes time alright. Fortunately."

 

Sam walked back over a few minutes after she said her goodbyes to the girls. He patted her head as he passed her and sat down in his chair again. 

"Making friends?" He asked her as she finished saving the images.

"Not really. Just.... really liked their costumes. They were friendly and gave me information on the convention this weekend. They thought I was adorable."

"That's nice. Anything interesting?"

"Not really." She swirled her drink around a little while they sat silently. He wanted to do something, anything to cheer her up. After about a minute, she looked up. "One: I want my arm to stop tingling." Her father looked up as she spoke. "Two: Keeping Shannon. Even if he can't stay at the apartment. Three: Going to the convention this weekend. Four: More daddy-daughter dates wouldn't be bad. Five: You to start coping without the alcohol?" He smiled a little and took another drink.

"Well, I can maybe do at least one of those. But for your arm, you need to actually talk about that. We know people who can help." 

"It costs money." She took another drink of her mocha.

"It's. Fine." His voice was stern, but soft. "You're the most important thing in my life. I can't do much so let me help with what I can."

"I guess...." She shrugged.

"And..... I'll try to get you a ticket to go into the convention. Happy birthday." He glanced around a little before looking back at her smile. 

"You sure?" She tilted her head a little making him smile again. 

"Yeah. I'm sure." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Do you know why your mother loved this cafe?" She popped the last of the croissant into her mouth before shaking her head. He fidgeted with the empty sugar packet, reminiscing for a moment with a soft smile. "It's where we met."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally get to explore 2 new characters! Yay!
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been down with allergies or a cold or something. I intended it to be posted a few days ago but here it finally is!
> 
> Words:14002

"So.... Megan...." A young woman turned to her coworker with a smile. The first had long brown hair tied back and wrapped around in a tight bun with bright emerald green eyes that sparkled with curiosity, a few little freckles like cinnamon sprinkled on her cheeks. The second, Megan, was a brunette with a few blonde highlights, her hair tied up in high ponytail, a light blue bow matching her eyes tied around the base. Both were managing the cafe on their own that day. It had been dead all day so they really didn't have much to do except stand around and joke. "Why are we here again?" Megan smirked as she finished mixing yet another of the crazy drinks they came up with.

"Well.... _I'm_  are here because we get paid hourly so we're currently getting paid to screw around. They're also paying part of my college." She took a sip of her drink. "And we get free drinks all day. Free food at the end of the shift! And c'mon, Astria. I'm a college student. Free food is heaven." 

"Ok...." Astria tilted her head, a slight smirk on her pink lips. "So then why am I here?" 

"Iunnuh." Megan shrugged.

"With a degree, you'd think you could enunciate words a little better." Astria laughed as she walked away. "I'll be back. Bathroom."

"You'd think.... And ok." She produced her phone from her apron pocket and started scrolling through her apps, tapping on a game and playing while she waited for her friend to return.

 

Out on the streets, three young men wandered along, two of them laughing and joking, the last one following a couple steps behind, studying the ground, disinterested, his hands shoved into his Army green hoodie. He wore a pair of worn out jeans, his long black hair back in the usual ponytail, and his black dog tags clicked as they bounced on his chest. The blonde one wore a pair of tight jeans, a tight orange long sleeved t-shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, a black leather belt, and a necklace with his own silver dog tags. The shortest of them simply wore a pair of jeans with a black leather belt and a purple polo, his hair brushed and styled nicely. He'd left his dog tags at home, not wanting to wear them since he didn't exactly need them anymore. The blonde one nudged the Asian and laughed as he regained his suddenly upset balance. He walked with a slight limp as he steadied himself, not being used to his prosthetic yet. The one following behind was ready to catch him if he did fall, his hands leaving his pockets and hovering in the air between them.

"Felix, don't do that to him. He's still getting used to his balance." The grumpy one glared at him.

"So, Wu, tell me this chick of yours has friends." Isaac asked, completely ignoring his friend's struggles. "If they're anything like you've described your girl, you _gotta_ get her to hook us up."

"My girlfriend is not an excuse for you to get laid. If you want a girl, you can go out and get one. I'm not going to force Megan to pawn off her friends." The Asian glanced back at the one wandering behind, his hands already back in his pockets. "So, you still going by Locus?"

He looked back at him and shook his head slowly. "I don't know yet, Mason." 

"Well, you let me know when you do, Ok?" Mason smiled reassuringly. He knew that Locus would be the one with the adjustment problems, where Felix had already started to act like himself.

"Which should I go by now? Felix or Isaac?" 

"Whichever you want. We'll just ignore you either way." Sam smirked as Mason opened the door to a cafe, flashing a small smile at the end of his comment, and actually getting Isaac to stop smiling. 

"Not cool." Isaac muttered, entering first, twisting just a little so he didn't bump anything with Siris standing partially in the doorway. 

"Don't worry about him. You'll both adjust just fine." He ushered Locus in and directed them towards a table near the cash register. Locus took the seat facing the door, watching it quietly. Felix pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, propping his feet up on the chair across from him, earning him a glare from Locus. 

"What?" He shrugged a little as he looked back at him. Under the unending gaze, he rolled his eyes and sighed, lowering his feet to the ground. "Fiiiiine." 

"Mase!" Megan was already rounding the counter and running at him. Mason scooped her up in his arms as she reached him, pulling her into a hug and kissing her gently. 

"Hey, Sweetheart. Miss me?" He held her up a little, making their foreheads touch as she giggled. 

"Of course!" She laughed a little as he dropped her back to her feet. Felix gagged a little and looked at Locus. 

"Gross. We'll never be like that, right buddy?" He nudged him, earning himself another glare. Locus turned back to the adorable interaction going on in front of him. Years ago, he would have wished for the same thing, but after the war, it just didn't feel right. The nights were often filled with nightmares and terrors of a place far away, all the things that had happened..... He didn't want someone else to deal with the unfortunate disaster he had become.

"So, these are your friends you told me all about?" Megan finally turned from Mason to his two companions. Felix perked up a little.

"You were talking about us when you were away on medical?" He smiled his most charming grin and stood up. "Well, in that case, I'm Felix and this is Locus. It's been so nice to finally meet a beautiful woman like you. Tell me, what all has he said?" Locus rolled his eyes, wanting nothing to do with Felix thinking he was charming. His left hand slid into the pocket in his hoodie and produced his phone, setting it on the table with a quiet thud before supporting his head with his other hand as he scrolled.

"That you talk a lot. And he's the exact opposite." She flashed a smirk at the blonde. "And no, I don't have any friends for you to meet, if the rest that I heard is anywhere near true." He looked at Mason suspiciously.

"You told her what about me exactly?" His companion laughed at his accusation.

"Nothing bad, I swear. I just told her that you like to bar hop." He pulled Megan closer, his arm around her waist. "Would you mind making us a few drinks?"

"Sure. I'd love to. The usual babe?" She kissed his cheek before looking to the others. "Lemme guess the other two. Um..... Hazelnut caramel latte with an extra espresso shot." She pointed at Felix, who just watched her, confused by her words. She paused for a moment, watching Locus, who was checking his emails. Not that he had anyone to send him emails. "I.... hm.... mocha?" She asked. 

"No." Astria called from across the room. "He's going to want coffee. Black. Three packs of sugar and a splash of cream?" 

Her voice froze Locus mid swipe, partially due to the sudden surprise of a new person showing up, partially because her voice sent a shiver through him. It was clear and cheery and damn it all to Hell, he wanted to hear her speak again. 

"W-what... did... did you say?" He managed to choke out, keeping his eyes on the phone. Mason and Felix's gazes snapped up to study their companion. He never stuttered; always knew exactly the words he wanted. 

"Black coffee. With a splash of cream and three packs of sugar that _you_ want to add on your own. Am I right?" Her voice sent another chill through him and he finally looked up at her. She was approaching with a small bounce in her step, before stopping at the edge of the table. He sat there, staring like a child, unable to process words, trapped in her emerald eyes. In all truth he hated coffee, but didn't know how to say it all of a sudden. She didn't seem to notice his reaction to her voice, chalking any awkwardness he showed to her appearance from no where. Felix slapped him on the back to wake him from her spell, Mason glaring at the blonde. Megan had her hands over her mouth to hide her grin and smother any stray squeals and squeaks that dared to interrupt this moment more than Felix already had. 

"Y-yeah." Locus stuttered again. "That sounds, um, fine...." He immediately regretted his words as she turned and walked behind the counter, behind him and out of sight, Megan following along to make their drinks, still grinning and planning full well to gossip.

"What the Hell was that, Ortez?!" Isaac sat back down and leaned onto the table a little, trying to catch the dumbfounded man's attention. He started at his phone, wondering the same thing. His partner groaned and snapped his fingers in his face. He hated when Felix did that, earning yet another glare. 

"I don't know. I guess I was just surprised.." He finally answered, slowly turning back to his phone.

Felix's hand slammed down over the screen, blocking the image from view. "Surprised? _Surprised_ _?_ You don't _get_ surprised! Do you _know_ what you do when you get ' _surprised_ '? You _shoot_ the surprise! And I know _God damn_  well you have a fucking gun on you!" 

"Gates!" Mason hissed, his arm flying up as he rose from his chair and pushed against Isaac's chest, causing the annoyed blonde to turn to him. He could tell that Sam had taken about enough of his complaints and he himself had other reasons for being here, and he would be damned if he let either ruin his plans.

" _What_?!" 

"Calm down. And stop getting upset. Don't yell at him for not shooting someone." His voice softened as he looked back at Sam, trying to get a read on him. His face was calm, eyes closed; about normal for him. He was good at keeping from telegraphing his thoughts and emotions, especially when Felix was involved, and this time was no different. Wu gave a soft sigh as he sat back, watching the other two ignore each other. He rubbed the back of his neck a little, waiting for them to calm down. 

 

"Sooooo....." Astria nudged Megan while they were busy by the espresso machines. "That the amazing man you haven't stopped talking about?" The other woman blushed a little and smiled.

"Yeahhhhh....." She glanced back at the three, all of them now silent. 

"He's shorter than I thought he would be." 

"Oh like height is all that matters." Megan rolled her eyes as she dumped the shot into the cup. 

"Well it means there's more of him to love. Though isn't it kinda against the rules to date someone who's a patient?" Astria watched the three for a moment, reflecting on how the tan one had responded to her. 

"He's with a different doctor and I'm not even under her. All I've done is hand him snacks at the clinic. What about the big one though?" She glanced back with a smirk, catching the other girl's confused look. 

"What about him?" Astria tilted her head and blinked, her brow scrunched up in confusion.

"Did you see how he looked at you?"

"I scared him. It wasn't nice. I'm sure they're all a bit jumpy from the war." She waved her hand as she turned back to the blender. 

"No. I've seen jumpy. Trust me, at the VA, you see that a lot. _That_ was something else." Megan's eyes followed Astria as she picked up the drinks. 

"Whatever. Keep dreaming." She followed her friend back around the counter, Megan walking a little faster to set the three drinks down before she dropped one. She pulled a fifth seat over to the table, placing it between her and Locus, forcing Astria to sit next to the large man. She gracefully sat with both drinks, sliding the cup next to his phone, three unopened packs of sugar and a spoon sitting on the edge of the saucer and a small cup of cream next to it. He watched the cup for a moment, then cautiously raised his gaze to her. She was already caught up in talking to Mason, but he only heard her side of the conversation. He watched every move she made; the way she swept the stray strand of hair behind her ear when she rolled her eyes, the way she smiled and laughed, the way she would lean over the table a little more when she got excited about gossip. He observed how she moved, the tones in her voice, and how her body language was almost as distinct as her voice. Megan occasionally nudged Mason, who was also watching Sam with a smirk. Before he knew it, the angel who had captured his attention, looked over nervously, a blush spread out under her freckles. 

"Um....." They locked eyes for a moment, Locus realizing what he had been doing as she spoke. "Is.... there something wrong?" His eyes flicked to the others at the table; Megan was grinning, Mason hiding his smile behind his tea while he pretended to be looking at the oh so exciting display of coffee on the wall, and Felix resting his head on his hand, staring at him like he had stolen his date. Having surveyed the rest of the group, he looked back as he answered.

"I.... no. Nothing is wrong." He got up and walked away, heading towards the bathrooms. He stepped in and locked the door, immediately going to the sink and splashing his face with cold water.

_What the fuck, you know you can't do this._

_She deserves better._

_You hardly know her, why would you ever want to subject a gem like that to such terrors?_

_You don't even know her name._

_You just **stared** at her for like 10 minutes, what the fuck?_

_You don't deserve to be happy, not after what you did._

He gripped the edge of the sink, his knuckles going white. The voices never stopped. He closed his eyes, not watching to see his reflection in the mirror anymore. 

_They'll never stop._

_Get used to it._

_Maybe you should have just died in the war._

_No one would miss you-_

He was pulled from his mind as someone beat on the door. "Sam?" Mason's voice was muffled, but it was definitely not Isaac. "Sam, you ok?"

"I'm fine." He lied as he pulled himself from the sink and stepped to the door, unlocking it to allow the shorter man in. He slid past him, taking to leaning against the wall. 

"You sure? You don't storm off like that often. What's bugging you?" He wouldn't just let him be. With a sigh, Locus leaned against the opposite wall and slid down, resting his arms on his knees as he studied the floor. "Megan and Astria are worried."

"Astria." He repeated softly. The name brought a little smile to his lips as it passed over them. 

"Yeah." He watched his friend for a few minutes, then chuckled. Locus looked up at him, seeing him shake his head.

"What?" 

"You're in love. It's adorable." 

"No!" He shook his head, trying to make himself believe the lie. "No, I can't be in love. I just met her and there's no room in my life for-"

"Sam!" Mason raised his voice a little, causing him to freeze before looking up at him. "You're beating yourself up and not letting yourself recover. A little happiness isn't a bad thing. Just.... relax. Try talking to her. She's pretty friendly."

"I can't."

"Voices won't stop?" Locus's eyes widened at the question as the shorter man shrugs. "How do I know? You think you're the only one who tears yourself down because of the war? The important thing is to find something to stop the voices. For me, it's Megan." He pushes off of the wall with his shoulder, walking to the door with his slight limp. "Just give it time. You'll recover." And with one last glance, he leaves him on the floor, lost in his thoughts. 

 

"So, really, you don't wanna go out dancing?" Felix tilted his head, watching the two girls typing away on their phones. They were both texting each other about the two new men Mason had brought with him, Megan trying to encourage Astria to talk to Sam. 

"Nope, not really. I don't like dancing. I'm on my feet all day. Why would I wanna be on them more?" Astria replied, not taking her eyes from her phone. 

"Well, how about a movie? Action, comedy, or romance?" 

"Horror." She didn't even take her eyes off her phone.

"I could hold your hand during the scary parts if you'd like." 

"I go to laugh at them." 

"Perfect! I would love to do that with you." 

"No."

At this point, Mason returned to his seat, giving Megan a little peck on the cheek.

"How is he?" She asked in Mandarin, to avoid the other two from understanding.

"Not really well, but he's been worse." He replied, taking a sip from his tea she had refilled while he was gone. She sighed.

"Refuses to get help?"

"Yes."

"You didn't tell me you two spoke Korean." Both glared at Isaac.

"It's Mandarin Chinese, idiot." Megan replied in English, before turning to her now missing friend's empty seat. "Well, that might help." She whispered to Mason, once again in the language they only understood.

 

Locus wiped his face off once more before glaring at the reflection in the mirror, studying himself. 

_You know you don't deserve her._

Maybe we could be happy?

_Who could be happy with a monster like you?!_

_She doesn't even know you!_

_She would gain nothing from the relationship but heartache and pain._

_She doesn't even know your name!_

I didn't know her name until a few minutes ago.

_An angel like that doesn't deserve to be put through Hell. Do you know how many times you've almost eaten a bullet since you got home?!_

But she makes the voices stop!

_Nothing will ever stop the voices!_

"Sam!" The sound of his name snapped him from his thoughts. It sounded beautiful being spoken by the goddess who stood behind him in the door way. His eyes wandered from where they had fallen while he was trapped in his head, up to the mirror, to the savior who brought him back to reality. Her reflection showed a concerned look, her right hand holding open the door to the bathroom, her left fidgeting with a necklace she wore. She watched his reflection, their eyes meeting again before he turned to face her. His knuckles returned to their normal shade of mocha as he let go of the counter, his eyes flicking down to the right as she observed him. He stood in silence as she started to talk again, her voice soft, as if she was trying to calm him. "Are you ok? I said your name like three times before you finally snapped out of it. Something bothering you?" She waited, but still he didn't reply. With a sigh, she let go of the door, letting it click shut as she approached, studying him to try to figure out his next move. He refused to meet her eyes again, watching an oh so interesting spot on the wall. She gently raised her hand to his cheek and slowly turned him to face her. They studied each other's faces, her noticing how troubled he looked and how her porcelain skin looked against his contrasting mocha, him seeing the worry and concern written all over her face. 

_Maybe you can be happy._

_It's worth a try._

"No." He finally admitted, "No, I'm really not."

"I can tell, honestly." She began to remove her hand, prompting him to raise his to hold her there. He nuzzled into her touch a little, his cheek roughly rubbing against her hand since he hadn't taken the time to shave in the last couple days. Her skin was soft and he cursed the stiff hairs on his face, wishing he could feel her closer. He opened his eyes to see her blushing again and silently chided himself for doing something so awkward to her when he didn't even know her. She smiled as he lowered both of their hands to this other, thumbs running over the back of her hand like it was a comfort to him to be touching her and the moment he let go, he would be alone again. "Sam?" She asked, getting him to look up again. "It's ok. You'll be just fine. If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here. My phone is always on. I know what Mason went through and I know it had to be bad for you too. You don't have to fight alone."

"I'm a disaster. Do you really want to be associated with a monster like me?" He whispered with a light chuckle in his voice.

"Yes." She answered him, her face showing her dedication to the cause. "You're not a monster. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He studied her again for a few moments before releasing her hand and smiling a little. 

"Even if it's myself?"

" _Especially_ if it's yourself." 

"I'll try." She smiled at his answer. She spun around to the door and opened it, glancing back to him.

"C'mon. We should get back out there before Megan strangles Isaac."

"If he drove her to that far, I don't think anyone could stop her if what Mason has said is true." 

 

"Bout time." Felix groaned as the two came into view. "These two have been speaking in some fruit language shit and I've been bored!"

"Sucks to be you." Sam sat at his spot, starting to tend to the now cold coffee. 

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better. You two start dating or some shit?" 

"No. We talked, that's all." 

"Yeah because a girl in the guy's bathroom is just there to-" Sam raised his arm a little as Mason cleared his throat, interrupting their altercation. " _What_ , Wu?!"

"I have an announcement." He started.

"Oh, yeah, sure, _now_ you speak English. Jerk." Isaac muttered under his breath, finishing his caramel whatever-the-fuck sugar drink.

"I wanted to do this once you two got home, but I've been planning this for several months." He started digging in his pocket, producing a small black ring box. He looked to Megan, her eyes wide in disbelief and hands over her mouth and nose, her gaze jumping between the box and his face rapidly. "I'd get down on a knee but you were there when I knelt down to tie my shoe and it locked up on me." Astria squealed and nudged her friend, trying to shake her from her shock. "So, will you marry me, Megan?" He passed the little box to her, her hands finally coming off her face as she tackled him out of the chair in a hug. 

"Yes! Damn it, _yes_!" She shouted as they both landed on the ground in a mess. Isaac groaned and looked in his now empty cup. 

"Gross." Locus turned from watching the two on the floor to glare at the blonde once again. "What?" He asked with a shrug.

 

"So you met Mom here? That's cool." Kiera sipped at her mocha with a smile. "I didn't know that she worked here."

"Nah, you wouldn't. Only one still in the area that remembers is Aunt Megan. Apparently they used to get into all kinds of trouble." Sam checked the time and started to clean up the table. "C'mon. We need to get to school."

"Y-yeah." She fell silent for a few seconds. "Can I maybe get a refill while you're not mad at me?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was an angel in school so this is gonna be something new for me XD
> 
> Crap I missed the word count

The pair wandered along the broken, empty sidewalk, Sam enjoying the Autumn air, Kiki being more of a Summer soul and was practically huddled around her coffee. She occasionally sipped at it, testing the warmth and trying to hold onto as much as she could. She knew she would have to finish it before she was released into the halls of the school but until then, she was fine. In her pocket, her phone buzzed a little as the personal assistant called out to her, the cheery voice muffled.

"I see you made it to school. I'll make sure everything is silent until you leave! Have a great day!"

As they made it onto school grounds, Sam took note of the elementary grade children on the metal structures of the playground. They were far from quiet and he smiled a little, watching them climbing, swinging, playing, all of them running around to different areas, or chatting in their little cliques. His gaze turned to his daughter, who was busy studying the broken blacktop as they walked. Chewed gum, cigarette butts, the occasional paper clip or staple registered in her mind as she walked as if she was being taken to the firing squad. Her father pondered why she was taking this time so hard; she wasn't exactly an angel in school and often found trouble. He had gone in before and often times she walked out with a slap on the wrist and the worst punishment he and his wife had ever give her was no television use for a week. And they let her off early to watch movies with her. 

His thoughts were cut off abruptly as she stopped at the door, hitting the button on the tiny speaker next to it to alert the office that someone wanted to enter. A feminine voice buzzed over the speaker, confirming that the door had unlocked and Sam held the door open for her as they entered. Kiki once again led the way to the brightly lit office, taking a seat in a line of chairs as her father stepped up to the desk. The blonde smiled and chatted with him while he confirmed the appointment and signed in, taking the plastic badge he was handed and sitting on the chair next to his child. He patted her knee and smiled a little. 

"Why do you look so stressed? That's my job." She sipped her mocha before responding.

"Well, you made it look like so much fun, I had to give it a try." Her response gained a chuckle from him as he sat back. 

The room fell silent except for the typing of the secretary and the ticking on an analog clock. It felt like eternity before an older woman holding a thick manila folder stepped out of a door that Sam had assumed to be a closet. She had bleach blonde hair with grey roots like she had forgotten that one coloring wasn't enough to stave off the aging process forever. Her sweater had crocheted leaves strewn across it, looking like fall had thrown up on her and she decided to make it a fashion statement. As she approached, Sam felt Kiki tense a little as he watched the woman raise her glasses to her eyes from where they hung on a string around her neck.

"Are you the father of...." She squinted. "Ki.... Key-era Orteez?" He heard his daughter groan.

"Kiera Ortez. It's not hard." The woman glared over her glasses at the child, challenging her as if she couldn't pronounce a name she had heard for almost 13 years. The girl returned a glare that Sam almost exclusively reserved for Isaac. He swallowed down his urge to chuckle and the pride he had in his spawn for mastering such an expression as he rose and presented his hand. 

"Yes. Samuel Ortez, Ms...."

The woman looked him over before responding. He was underdressed for her liking, and smelled a touch like alcohol, though it could be that this man just really loved his aftershave or mouthwash. She relented and took his hand, gripping lightly. "Mrs. Van Wyk." She dropped his hand as quickly as she could before walking quickly out the door and into the hallway. "This way." Sam waited for Kiki to rise before following, both of them wandering into the hall after her. She stood by a window with the navy curtain drawn across it, the light brown door next to it decorated in more red colored leaves. The woman entered as the other two caught up, leaving the entrance open for them. She motioned to the two chairs in front of the desk where she took her seat. Kiki dropped her backpack on the floor and took the seat farthest from the door, her father sitting next to her. The woman typed at the computer for a moment before turning to the two, leaning over her desk a little with her fingers knitted together.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here, Mr. Ortez." The woman started.

"I told my daughter that I didn't want to hear about what happened until I got here, so yes. I am." He answered. She cleared her throat.

"Your daughter has had some.... problems since she came to our school." She looked at him as if that explained why he had been forced to get dressed this morning. His quiet stare prompted her to continue. "She's quite often a distraction in class and has caused several issues for a few of the teachers. Her language is much too... advanced for a seventh grader."

"Ok, let's start with one, and we'll work from there." He was a little annoyed with this woman already.

"Very well." The woman huffed. "Well, first of all, she refuses to listen to her teachers. We have a very strict rule about outerwear and the dress code dictates that young women should be wearing a navy or white sweater if they wish for something warmer than their uniform, not that..... tattered mess." She motioned to Kiki, who was sucking at one of her molars where she thought she felt a piece of her croissant lodged. Sam groaned a little, watching the woman who was expecting a response. 

"It was a gift."

"It doesn't matter. If we let one child get away with it, we would be expected to let others as well. It's not acceptable."

"And your sin of a sweater is ok?" Kiera muttered in Spanish. The woman glared at the girl as she chuckled to herself and sipped at the coffee.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" Sam looked between the livid woman and his daughter, before the woman continued. "You know, I can get the Spanish teacher down here to translate everything you're saying!"

"You wouldn't because then you'd have to find someone to watch her class." Kiera turned back to her with a smug look. This child had been around Felix too often.

"Anyways...." He stopped them before she responded. "The hoodie is a comfort to her."

"There's also the dog tags."

"Which were mine." He growled, challenging her a little. "She's worn them since she was a baby and doesn't take them off. Not for anything. Next issue."

"The dress code says that only small chains of religious purposes can be-"

"Next. Issue." He glared at her as his daughter had done not 5 minutes ago. Kiki chuckled into her cup and sipped again. The woman cleared her throat again and recomposed herself.

"She often talks in Spanish, to the point that we need to pull the Spanish teachers from their classes."

"There's nothing wrong with being bilingual." 

"There is when you're yelling at the teacher and they feel threatened."

"She's a hundred pounds soaking wet. Why is she a threat to any of the teachers here?"

"Because she's gotten into fights." 

At this comment, he looked over at his daughter, who was fidgeting with the black dog tags around her neck. He reached over and gripped them, causing her to look up at him. She knew she was in trouble. 

"So." He started in Spanish. If he got her talking in their shared language, she was more likely to explain things that she probably feared the woman would try to correct. "You got in a fight?" 

"More than that. Three." She squirmed in her seat. "Two yesterday during school and one after." 

"Why?" 

"Because the other girl started it. She was talking about one of the kids who was being nice to me and broke his glasses. I stood up in her face and she tried to hit me. So I hit back. We both got sent to detention and she started talking shit and I wasn't gonna take it. Then she jumped me on the way home and I....." Sam watched her, expecting her to continue. She sipped at her coffee and poked at the edge of the rug with her foot. 

"She's been in three fights, two in the school and one on the property. The other girl is being disciplined as well, but your child is being considered for behavioral corrections because she pulled a knife in the third one. No one was hurt luckily since two teachers were able to get there fast enough, but its an offence we can't overlook." He looked back at the child who looked so small in her chair. 

"Why did you have a knife?" He asked her, once again in Spanish. "I don't keep the weapons in the house. Where did you even....."

"Uncle Isaac." She answered. "I wasn't gonna hurt her. He gave it to me when I started school, saying it was a bad neighborhood for me to be walking home alone in. She backed off as soon as I pulled it."

"Kiki, you know better! You can easily floor someone! Why would you need a knife?!" He stopped as her left arm was raised a little. 

"Because it hurts and I wasn't going to let it make me lose to that bitch again."

"Watch your mouth." He sat back as she drank more of her coffee, not wanting to continue the conversation. He looked up at the woman again, who was silently judging the pair. "Where's the knife?" He asked in English. The woman produced a small, orange handled pocket knife from the folder and set it on the desk in front of him. He picked it up and looked it over. "This isn't designed for fighting. She wasn't going to hurt the girl."

"Mr Orteez, the fact that your daughter brought a knife to school is enough to get her kicked out."

"The fact that she is being shamed here from you and I wasn't called immediately when this happened is enough to get your ability to work in a school revoked. She's adjusting to some issues at home, in case you never read her file, Ms. Councilor, and I'll discuss with one of the other school representatives about this. Kiki, go to class and try to behave today." He got up and picked up his daughter's backpack. Kiera followed him to the door, the old woman standing up and stumbling over her words, furious. The child turned and smirked. 

"Hasta luego, perra." She waved, earning her a few harsh words from her father about her language, in Spanish of course.

 

"Why did you feel the need to insult her?" Sam asked her as he walked her to the classroom.The girl finished her coffee and handed him the now empty cup. 

"Because she's been rude to me since I got here. She doesn't listen. I've complained about that girl harassing me since I go there. She's her granddaughter so of course you know she's not gonna get in trouble as much as she should. She's been specifically targeting me."

"Kiki, I know a new school is troublesome but I can't send you to the old one. We're too far away without taking a car and the tuition is more than we can handle right now."

"I know...." She stopped at her locker and started to turn the knob on the lock. "I won't start any fights and I won't start anything with the teachers. I'm not getting kicked out, am I?" She looked up at him as she pulled on the lock. It slipped open and made a loud clang noise in the empty hallway. 

"I don't know. I need to talk to the principal. I figure he'll know what's going on and will probably be a little nicer." 

"He is." She gathered her books and locked the little padlock back on. Sam put his hand on her shoulder as they walked to the classroom together. "I have science right now. So it should be a good class at least." 

"Good." He opened the door that she stopped at and gave her a quick kiss before she walked in. He turned as the door shut behind him, focusing on the plan he had laid out in his head while walking. He had an hour to handle this before his next appointment. Plenty of time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this and the next chapter at the same time, but I'm too impatient for that lol so have this mess early. :)

"You're late." Sam was greeted by the light singsong voice of the woman sitting at the desk in the doctor's office. He had taken longer than he had planned at Kiera's school, but at least everything was sorted out. He was never late for his appointments here, but today.... everything had just been thrown off.

"Sorry, had to deal with a few things at Kiki's school." He shrugged a little and smirked as the woman rose from her seat and headed towards her office. 

"Come on in and we can talk about it." He followed her into the cozy, little office and sat on the mint green couch across from her chair. She closed the door and sat down, crossing her leg over the other as she smiled at the man. "So, what happened?"

"She got in a fight at school. I wasn't told until this morning, so needless to say, I'm a little on edge." He explained. He hated this honestly. He was one to keep his issues locked in his head and take them out on jobs now. But Mason and Megan pushed and pushed and so he had weekly meetings with a psychologist. The only reason that he was still here is because the two had set it up for a way to get the military to pay for it. 

"Makes sense. I would be too. How are you doing otherwise?" She tilted her head a little while watching him. He rubbed his eyes before remembering that he was wearing make up. He hated when it smeared. It was just a memory of what happened, a constant reminder, embedded in his face.... If he had the money, he would have been looking into getting it removed. 

"Fine. I guess."

"You guess?" He went silent, which she was used to with him. "Tell me what's been bothering you."

"Everything." He answered, sitting back. "I'm just... tired of all this shit."

"Anything specifically stand out?"

"The school was a pain. The water at the apartment doesn't work half the time. It's just stress. That's all. Kiki still isn't really talking and Astria's life insurance was denied."

"Did they say why?"

"Something about her having a blood pressure problem and it _could_ have been linked to the accident. It wasn't but I'm trying to get it handled. If It would go through, I could get her back to her school for this year at least." 

"A lot of your stress seems to be with your daughter."

"Always was." He mentally fussed at her that children are always stress points, but in all honesty, he wouldn't give her up for the world.

"How's your job hunt going?" 

"No one's hiring." _No one is hiring **you!**_

"How's your drinking? Did you look into AA?"

"I'm not going to some shitty help group."

"It's proven to hel-"

"I'm not GOING!" He glared at her, earning an apologetic gesture of her hand.

"I'm sorry. I was only suggesting." The two sat in silence for a few more minutes while Sam argued with himself in his head. He'd blown up on her when it came to her suggesting medicine to help him cope with his loss, so his reaction was nothing new. She knew he had a bit of a temper. "So, what can you do about the water?"

"Nothing. I've complained to the landlord and he said he would have it fixed last week. The girl across the hall has been without decent water since before we moved in and she said that she doubts we will get any kind of help any time soon." 

"That's horrible." 

"Yeah, but at least Mason helps out. Could be worse." 

"Yes but you deserve better than that." He was silent again. 

_No you don't._

_Honestly you deserve to be out on the field again._

_Maybe Isaac was right._

_Maybe Mason and Megan will take Kiera in._

"Sam?" The woman brought his attention back to her. His breathing became a little heavy. He wanted to move, see if it brought a little relief. 

"Sorry. I got caught up thinking."

"It's ok. We don't have to talk about it. What would you like to talk about?" 

".... My daughter brought home a cat and I can't keep it." He ran his hand over this hair, smoothing his way down to his ponytail. The temperature had to be rising in this tiny room. There was no way it couldn't be. 

"What are your plans?"

"Pass it off to Mason." He was getting fidgety. He didn't want to be stuck in here. Why the fuck was he even here?! "You know what, I think I'm gonna go."

"We've hardly started, Sam. I think it would be a good idea if we-" He cut her off, standing up and shaking his head, moving towards the exit. The room was too small. He needed to get out. Everything was _fine._ Why the hell didn't she see that?

"I'm fine! I don't need this! Nothing we've gone over has helped in the past 2 months, so what the hell is going to help now!?" He reached for the door handle as she got up.

"I really think that-" He slammed the door on his way out, his breath catching a little. Why did his chest feel tight? He wanted to get out. Nothing was stopping him now.

He pushed himself out the entrance and kept walking. Fuck that shit. He didn't want to listen to her. She wasn't helping with wanting to visit old wounds. Why the fuck was he having trouble breathing!? Throwing his back against a wall in the alley way he was passing, he slid down the wall, his hand on his chest. He felt his heart and while it was pounding away, nothing felt wrong with it. He counted the beats and calmed himself, not really able to do much more than tell himself that it was a steady rhythm. As he relaxed, he brought his knees closer to his chest, resting his arm and head against them as he panted with his other arm over his head. Part of him wanted to just go home and go to bed. Another wanted to go get Kiki from school and just keep her home. Another, louder part screamed at him, tearing himself down as normal. 

_Think of Kiera. You can handle this._

His phone chimed a few minutes into him calming himself. He slowly unwrapped himself, producing his phone. It was a message from Mason. 

"Job tonight. I'll give you details if you come by later." They knew better than to text information like that. Everything was in person.

He slowly got up and checked the time, leaning against the wall for a moment. 11:30 A.M. He smiled. He had the perfect plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a chapter that's a little amusing.
> 
> Words:18269

Sam fumbled with his keys as he stopped in front of a door of the apartment complex. He slid the keys to the side, noting which was which mentally as he pushed them aside, color coded with different rubber rings around the tops; his apartment, Mason's house, key to the storage locker, key to the other storage locker.... He stopped on one marked with an orange ring and pushed it into the knob. He heard the door unlock and pushed it open, entering quietly.

The entire apartment was dark, the curtains drawn and every light off. He quietly pocketed his keys, keeping from letting them jingle and alert the tenant that he had entered. Not that it mattered much, as he found him snoring, face down on the couch in just his boxers. Sam rolled his eyes as he looked over the skinny frame of his partner, clothes thrown around the room and an empty beer bottle in his hand. His modern-esque coffee table had several other beer bottles on it, next to a box of half eaten pizza and a now melted, and leaking, cardboard carton of ice cream. His phone was plugged into the speaker charger system that Isaac had thrown way too much money at when it came out, and then never used it. He had found a wifi enabled music player instead and just used this one as a charging port.

Sam moved past the noisy man to the curtains, pulling them open and letting the sun shine in. He loved the placement of this apartment building; a beautiful, day long view of the west side of town, and at night, the cityscape was lit up like a personal light show. Of course, Isaac simply saw it as a way to pick up girls. Surprising of which, there wasn't one there this time. As he turned back around, he nearly tripped over the bottle of whiskey that had somehow ended up under the discarded pants that laid on the floor. He reached down to pick it up, then righted himself as he moved towards the open kitchen that sat on the other wall. 

"Isaac!" He called. The sleeping man groaned and growled, attempting to roll to face the back of the couch. "Isaac, get up!" 

"Nooooooo!" He cried, still groaning. As he managed to roll to face the back of the couch, the sunlight hit his eye and he made a noise that if Sam didn't know better, he would have thought some animal was being murdered, followed by the normal profanity that came from him. "God fucking- son of a cock bitch fucking shit fuck fuck shit God fucking damn it, you cunt-sucking _ass_ , Ortez I swear to _God_ I'm gonna murder your _children!_ "

"Well, seeing as how you got her in trouble," Sam smirked as he pulled out the knife he had taken from the school and tossed it at the table. It landed with a crash against the beer bottles, earning another curse stream from the angry blonde. "You can have your knife back."

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?!" Isaac groaned and held his hands against his face. If his partner would just STOP WALKING maybe he could recover.... He didn't, of course, instead going through the kitchen, closing cabinets way too loudly for his liking, though actually attempting to close them softly. 

"You're the reason I couldn't join you last night." He answered as he turned the stove on. The blonde sat up and groaned, holding his head in his hands. They sat in silence as Felix recovered enough to force himself off the couch when the larger man set down a plate with an omelet at the breakfast bar with a bottle of Gatorade.

"So it's my fault now?" He asked softly as he pulled the stool out carefully, trying to not let it scrape the floor. "What happened?" Sam making him breakfast when he ended up hungover was nothing new. 

"She got in a fight and pulled a knife that _you_ apparently gave her." 

"Yeah. I did. You two moved to a shit part of the city. Figured you'd want her safe at night when she's walking home." He struggled with the bottle for a few seconds before the loud crack of the safety seal rang out, sending a spike though his consciousness.

"She gets picked up by Mason. There's no one I trust her with more." Sam moved around to the stool next to Isaac who was now poking at the food very quietly with his fork.

"Gee, thanks, partner." 

"You suggested I give her up to the state when Astria died." 

"Yes, I know, dick move, but I was trying to help. Can't blame a man for trying." He sipped at the sports drink before taking a bite of the carefully made egg dish.

"Look, can we just drop that please? Wu apparently has another job for us." He set the phone down with the message pulled up. The skinny one forked more of the omelette into his mouth as he looked the message over. 

"Ahreadeh?.... Tonigh'?" His partner glared at him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." 

"Yo' not mah mom." The phone was snatched from the counter as Sam got up, slid the chair back into place with a scraping noise, grabbed a Gatorade, and walked off towards the small hallway.

"I'll be in the workout room if you need me." He called over his shoulder to the man who was recovering from all the noise, his head resting in his hand.

"Yeah, whatever." He hated his partner sometimes. If only he would be a little QUIETER!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, a familiar character! lol
> 
> Words:19333

Kiki sat at her desk while her math teacher rambled on about some equation and how to solve it. She had learned this lesson last year, at her old school, so as long as she could get the work done, she didn't care. The girl who had challenged her the day glared at her from two tables away, but she paid her no mind. She was ready to go home and it wasn't even lunch yet. The kid next to her moved a little closer to see what she was drawing on her binder. 

"Those look neat!" She looked over at the excited boy before sliding a little bit away, careful to keep her left arm from touching the table. He watched her move before continuing, letting her settle around her binder as she continued drawing. "I wanted to say thank you for the help yesterday."

"Uh-huh..." She tried to ignore him since she arrived but he always seemed to find her. And since she got in the fight yesterday, everyone was _avoiding_ her now too. Except this pest. 

"So..... you like RWBY? I mean... you have the notebooks and the matching school supplies."

"It was on sale." At this point he smiled. Fuck.

"Well, I think you'd really enjoy the series! I mean, the characters are reeeaally complex and -" At this point she tuned him out. She knew the characters well enough, thanks. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl's hand go up as she watched the pair at her current table. She had a smirk that Kiki didn't like. She brought her left hand up to silence the boy next to her and he immediately snapped to his notebook, scribbling down notes. The urge of the tingling sensation would be worth it.

"Mrs. Jones, Keira and Frank are talking." She tattled. The teacher turned around from the board and watched the two, both of them copying the notes off the board. The young teacher watched the tattler for a moment. 

"They're taking notes like good students, Brittany. Where are yours?" A light snicker came from the rest of the class as she sat there, embarrassed, while Kiki continued to ignore her. Once again the boy next to her started whispering again.

"Thank you. You're really good at keeping tabs on her."

"Look, just take your notes and be quiet." Kiki hissed as she went back to doodling. After school would hopefully be much better.

 

At lunch, she plopped down her tray at a table in the corner, taking a bite of her sandwich while checking her phone. She cleared her social media out quickly, seeing the pictures of her old friends and such from their daily updates; Kelsey made cheer squad, Annie had made class president..... nothing new really. She ignored her new stalker as he sad down next to her. 

"Those your friends from the other school?" 

"It's rude to look over someone's shoulder. And don't sit next to me. We have the whole damn table, sit somewhere else." This prompted him to move to the seat in front of her. Whatever. 

"Sorry. Just.... wondered what you were doing. Thanks again for yesterday though."

"Yeah. Glad to help." She continued eating her sandwich in silence. She checked her messages and send one to her father, noting that she was ok and nothing had happened yet. 

"Who do the dog tags belong to?" She ignored his question, prompting him to ask again. "Are they your mother or father's?" He was gentle when asking, destroying any of the angry words she wanted to throw at him.

"They're my father's. He was in the war before I was born."

"That's cool." 

"I guess." She shrugged. To her, they were just physical proof that her father loved her and always there. Her hand absentmindedly went to grip them, the cool aluminum bringing a small smile to her face. 

"They mean a lot to you, don't they?" Frank smiled upon her reaction. She nodded. "That's good. We all need something to calm us." He was silent for a moment. "Look, I know you don't know me very well, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm looking into psychology as a future career. I wanna go into medicine." 

"Well, you can definitely do it. Thanks for the offer but my aunt is a psychologist. I got it covered." A clattering on the table drew both their attentions as Brittany dropped her tray on the table. Kiki stared at the girl, their eyes locking, looking bored under the challenging glare. "What? You wanna start another fight?"

"You got me in trouble, bitch." She spat, eyeing the pair of outcast children. Kiki turned back to her tray and started on her fruit cup. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" 

"Does it look like I care?" She muttered in Spanish, further infuriating the angry one. 

"Speak English or go back to Mexico!" 

"I'd love to go visit again, thank you!" Kiera smiled and glanced at her for a moment before ignoring her again. Frank looked ready to crawl under the table. 

"Guys.... c-can we do this peacefully? Kiera? Brittany?" 

"No!" Brittany yelled. Kiera already noted a teacher approaching.

"Yes, especially since I don't want to deal with anymore office meetings." Kiki stood up with her tray to throw away her trash, moving past the girl carefully, her left arm hanging at her side. Frank immediately rose to follow her, seeing it as the best course of action and safety in numbers no doubt. Brittany's hand shot up and gripped the dog tags around the girl's neck, causing her to freeze. She slowly turned her head towards Brittany, challenging her to continue. The girl smirked, tugging the chain a little. 

"You had best take your hands off my necklace." Her voice was quiet and calm, but her face never changed. 

"Make me." Brittany challenged as the teacher stepped up behind her. 

"I don't have to. I'm sure your grandmother would love to see you in her office again." She motioned to the teacher who was watching expectantly. 

"Brittany, bring your lunch." Was all he said as he placed a hand on her arm and lead her out the door. The dog tags slipped from her hand and she glared back at Kiki, who just waved. 

"Bye." The smirk on Kiera's face only infuriated her more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep that's right! 2 chapters back to back! I hope you enjoy!

"It wasn't that bad, now was it?" Megan looked over at Mason who was still smiling from the chaos that had ensued at the party. She sat passenger side while he drove and a young girl slept in the back seat in a booster seat. She was about 5 years old, with her mother's hair tied up in a pony tail, a pink stuffed rabbit clutched in her tiny hands.

"Nah it wasn't. But I always liked your family." He shook his head as he stopped at a stop sign. 

"Well, I'm glad you two had fun. Cassie's out, so please try to not copy her while driving?" 

"I have training with the kids later so I'm plenty awake." Megan sighed a little as she remembered Kiera and Sam.

"How are those two doing? I haven't seen them for a bit since I've been working nights all this month."

It was Mason's turn to sigh. "Sam's been struggling but he's doing well enough. Keek on the other hand is a mess. She's become anti social and apparently got into a fight at school. I'm gonna try to talk to her today during training. She seems to cheer up a little. Otherwise, she'll sit and stare at her phone, the T.V. or the wall. She alienated the counselor you got her signed up with and she's apparently having issue with her arm but won't talk about it." Megan groaned and rubbed her face with her right hand. 

"Are you kidding..... Astria is gonna come back and frickin' haunt me." She glanced back at the sleeping child to check on her, then turned back to watch the suburban landscape pass through the window. "And you said you're gonna talk to her?"

"I said I'd try. I figure it can't hurt. I'm also the one who's going to pick her up from school today. Oh, and, I'll bring their cat over tonight after I take Sam home from our job."

"You have a job tonight? Thought you guys didn't do them multiple days in a row."

"Yesterday was a small job so Isaac is a little fussy and Sam can use the money. So I found another job. This one is an actual bounty so I'm hoping it goes well. I'll need you to take Kiki home tonight though because we plan to leave right after dinner."

"Easy enough. I can take her home on the way to work. Tyler will have to watch the other two."

"Cassie is gonna be up all night." Mason chuckled. His wife had an amused smirk.

"Just means he can stay up. You know he loves that."

"Yeah..... Are you going to nap when we get home?" 

"Yeah.  Just a few hours. I'll wait for the kids to get home then go to bed." 

"Ok." Mason pulled the car onto the paved driveway of one of the houses on the edge of the city. The yard was scattered with a few toys and the top of a jungle gym could be seen over the fence. They were right outside the city limits which gave them option for more land for all of the many training regiments of the three partners, plus space for the children to practice for sports. It just sucked when they had to cut the grass.

Megan got out of the car, closing the door quietly as she did, before unbuckling the sleeping child in the backseat and picking her up. She clutched the rabbit as her arms slowly closed around her mother's neck to help support her. "Mase, I love you." She said as he rolled down the window. She bent down to give him a kiss, which he returned. "Drive safe and good luck with Kiki."

"Thanks. I'll need it." He half smiled as he backed up again, leaving his wife and daughter to walk up to the door alone. School was ending soon and his two children took the bus, as would Kiki, if she was still at her old school. The traffic was starting to pick up, so getting to the school early was a better plan. 

 

"So, you sure you don't want to sign up for any after school activities? I can get you on the track team!" Frank followed Kiki through the halls of the school, holding his backpack and gym bag.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have things I do after school and most of the time I get picked up and go to my aunt and uncle's house. I do my homework and shit there."

"Well, it is important for you to keep your body in top shape as well as your mind." She rolled her eyes as she slid past a few students who were gathered around a paper taped to the wall. He followed close behind, much to her dismay. 

"I am in perfect shape, thank you very much."

"You sure you don't want me to put in for-"

"No!" She turned and glared before whipping back around and walking out the entrance of the school. He followed her out the door, struggling with his gym bag a little as it caught the door. It took him a moment before untangling it from the handle and to his surprise, she had stopped and waited for him, squinting still as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight from being stuck inside all day. He caught up as she turned and started walking towards the line of cars that had formed. "You gonna be ok?" 

"Yeah. They gotta catch me first, after all!" He smiled. She shook her head as she approached one of the cars. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah yeah." She climbed in the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt, dropping her bag on the floor and hand going to the arm rest on the door. She gripped it tightly, her knuckles turning white. Mason observed her behavior for a moment before she looked over and forced a smile, causing him to snap his gaze back to her own and smile back.

"How was school? Make a new friend?"

"Crap and no. He's the one I got in a fight for yesterday. Some bitch was picking on him and she took a swing at me when I stepped in." He put the car in gear as she spoke, pulling out of his parking spot while she spoke. She closed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh a she sat back. He knew she hated this part of the day. She had become nervous since the day the accident happened. He had learned taking the ride slower helped her cope and she at least made it back without screaming. 

"That's sweet of you but I also heard there were three fights."

"She was talking about my mom. Third one was her wanting to finish it."

"And you.... pulled a knife on her?" He glanced at her as her phone's virtual assistant chimed that she was now out of school silent time. She refused to touch her phone, and was more focused on remaining calm. 

"Yes. I did." 

"Do you realize how much trouble you could have gotten into with that?"

"Yes....." Her grip tightened. 

"Ok, well.... don't do it again, alright?"

"Alright, Uncle Mason." They both went quiet, him hearing her forcing herself to breath calmly. He let her be for a few blocks, before pulling into a strip mall. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around. "We took a wrong turn. What are we doing?"

"I'm thinking ice cream for dessert. We're out. Let's go pick some out." He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the car before turning to looking to her. "C'mon. It'll get you out of the car." She smiled a little at the thought, which brought one to him. Maybe he was finally making progress? "Top five flavors of ice cream. Go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering, her top 5 flavors are white chocolate, strawberry, mango, raspberry, and matcha!


End file.
